Chandigarh, Dec 6 (IANS): Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said that the state has over 16,000 ponds and in the first phase 1,800 of them would be rejuvenated within a year.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting here.

Khattar said primarily the state government aims to ensure drinking water supply to households through taps and also to purify the water used in the household kitchens.

He said that water would also be utilised for irrigating crops through micro irrigation. He directed the officers to identify agriculture fields for discharging water from big ponds.

It was informed at the meeting that as per the survey conducted by the district pond management, 600 ponds have been identified in urban areas and 15,946 in rural areas for rejuvenation.

An action plan has been prepared for rejuvenating all the ponds in 10 years.

The Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority, urban local bodies, the irrigation department and panchayats would work jointly for the improvement of the ponds.